The hawk took flight again as the two shinobi vanished into the snow — shadows cutting south through the narrowing pass, urgency burning in every step.
[Arrival — Battle in Morimi Valley]
Snow parted as Naruto and Hayato blurred down the last ridge, moving fast and low.
Below — the battlefield unfolded:
Team 10 was locked in a brutal skirmish. The enemy wasn't just a ragged band of rogue shinobi — they moved with trained precision. Three squads, all masked. Their chakra signatures burned sharp in the air.
Asuma Sarutobi stood near the center — twin Chakra Blades humming with wind release as he held a defensive circle. His coat was scorched, movements tight from injury.
"Sensei — left flank!" Chōji's booming voice echoed, arms spinning with Nikudan Sensha (Human Bullet Tank).
Ino crouched low behind a fallen log, weaving seals. "I need cover!"
Shikako knelt beside her, fingers locked in the cross-sign. "Just one shot — hold them!"
Shadow tendrils flickered from her — Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Possession Jutsu) — but too many targets made the net fragile.
Asuma gritted his teeth. "Damn it. We're boxed in."
That was when a sudden howl of wind cut the air.
Two shadows streaked down the slope — fast. Too fast.
Naruto and Hayato burst through the tree line, moving as one.
"Reinforcements!" Asuma barked — voice half in relief, half warning.
Naruto didn't answer.
He was already moving.
[Naruto's Dance — Tsuki no Ryū Kenjutsu Unleashed]
A masked rogue spotted him — kunai raised.
Too slow.
With a single one-handed seal, Naruto blurred with Shunshin no Jutsu — his form vanishing into mist.
He reappeared mid-air, blade drawn in an arc of cold light.
Tsuki no Ryū Kenjutsu: Sengetsu no Mai (Crescent Moon Dance).
Steel swept in a perfect crescent — the rogue barely gasped before crumpling.
Landing fluidly, Naruto pivoted.
Another shinobi charged — dual short swords gleaming.
Naruto's stance shifted — blade raised with one hand, off-hand free for sealing.
Tsuki no Ryū Kenjutsu: Getsuryū Shigure (Moon Dragon Drizzle).
A flurry of six rapid strikes cascaded down — elegant, unstoppable. The enemy's guard shattered. Blood misted in the cold air.
[Hayato Joins the Fray]
Beside him, Hayato flowed into motion — blade flashing with deliberate precision.
"Iaigiri!" (Quick-Draw Slash)
One rogue lost his head before realizing Hayato had drawn.
"Cover right," Hayato called.
"On it," Naruto answered — eyes sharp, tone cold.
[Team 10 Regroups]
With the sudden shift, Team 10 rallied.
Ino slipped into a full trance — "Shintenshin no Jutsu!" (Mind Body Switch Technique).One enemy froze mid-swing — caught.
Shikako's fingers moved faster now — "Kagemane Kage Shibari no Jutsu!" (Shadow Imitation Bind Technique).Her shadow caught two more, holding them long enough for Asuma's twin Chakra Blades to rip through their defenses.
"Glad you two showed up!" Asuma grunted.
"Status?" Hayato asked — blade flicking blood away.
Asuma's gaze was sharp. "We were ambushed. Leader's in the back — sensor type. Dangerous."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "I'll take him."
Hayato nodded. "Go. I'll hold center."
Without hesitation, Naruto flickered forward — Shunshin no Jutsu — moving like wind between trees.
[Naruto vs. Enemy Sensor]
At the back of the clearing, a tall masked shinobi stood weaving seals — eyes glowing beneath the hood.
"Too late," the man hissed. "I've seen your chakra."
Naruto's only answer was steel.
He darted in — Tsuki no Ryū Kenjutsu: Hantsuki Kiri (Half-Moon Mist Cut) — a blurring strike from low stance.
The sensor barely dodged — forming a counter seal."Raiton: Raikyū!" (Lightning Ball!)
A crackling orb shot forward.
Naruto dropped low — blade spinning.Tsuki no Ryū Kenjutsu: Mangetsu no Utsuro (Hollow Full Moon).
One smooth arc cleaved through the jutsu — dispersing it in a shower of sparks.
Then Naruto appeared behind him — Shunshin, single-hand.Blade at the throat.
The enemy froze.
Naruto's voice was low. "Yield — or fall."
The enemy's hands trembled — then dropped.
[Aftermath]
Minutes later — silence reigned.
The enemy force lay broken or captured. The sensor was bound beneath Ino's sharp gaze.
Asuma leaned on one knee — winded, but alive.
"You saved our necks," he said gruffly.
Hayato nodded once. "You held longer than most would."
Naruto wiped his blade clean — eyes distant.
Shikako approached, breath visible in the cold. "Naruto… that sword style…"A rare note of curiosity.
"Training," he said simply. "And necessity."
Shikako smiled faintly. "Looks like I'll need to catch up."
Chōji groaned from nearby. "Let's all catch up… after I can feel my arms again."
Laughter — tired but real — rippled through the battered team.
Asuma glanced skyward. "We report to the Hokage. Then — we all rest."
Naruto sheathed his sword — the weight of the moment sinking in.
Another battle survived.
Another path still ahead.
[Return — The Road Back to Konoha]
By nightfall, the blood and smoke of Morimi Valley were far behind.
Naruto, Hayato, and Team 10 moved swiftly beneath the rising moon — no words wasted.Every shinobi carried their own wounds — some visible, most not.
Asuma took point, though his breath remained shallow. His hand never strayed far from his chakra blades.
Naruto walked behind Hayato, eyes sharp beneath the weight of recent battle.His blade hung at his side, silent and ready.
No one missed the way he moved now — calm, economical, a new sharpness in his step. Even Shikako glanced more than once, thoughtful.
"Report to the Hokage is first," Hayato reminded. "Then rest. Don't collapse before you reach the gate."
Chōji groaned. "Too late…"
Ino smirked faintly, though her shoulders sagged. "Shikako's the one who'll collapse over the paperwork."
"Only if I let them catch me," Shikako replied dryly, but her gaze flicked once toward Naruto again — unreadable.
The Leaf's walls rose ahead in the pale dawn light — a battered company walking home.
[Hokage Tower — Immediate Debrief]
The summons came before they'd even reached their homes.
Team 10 and their rescuers were called to the Hokage Tower — direct audience.
Hiruzen Sarutobi waited alone in his private chamber, scrolls stacked around him. His eyes — old, sharp, and shadowed by the weight of leadership — watched each shinobi enter.
His gaze lingered on Naruto.
"You returned swiftly," he said simply.
Asuma gave a tired salute. "Thanks to these two. We'd have lost more without them."
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
"Hayato Gekkō. Naruto Uzumaki — report."
Hayato spoke first — precise and unembellished.Naruto followed — words clipped, efficient. No boasts. Just fact.
When Naruto spoke of the blade work — of the Tsuki no Ryū Kenjutsu, of the enemies felled with pure steel — the faintest flicker crossed the old Hokage's eyes.
He nodded once when the report ended.
"Well done. All of you."
Then his gaze sharpened.
"There will be whispers soon," Hiruzen said softly. "The Mist shinobi have already returned home with Kiba. Their council will speak of who killed Raiga. Of who delivered the blade."
Silence.
Naruto stood straight — gaze steady.
"I did what was necessary."
Hiruzen's voice lowered, though the warmth never left it."You fought as a shinobi of the Leaf should fight. Without needless cruelty. With respect for the blade, and for your comrades."
He exhaled slowly.
"But this path will grow steeper. The eyes upon you now… they are not just of our village."
Naruto gave the faintest nod.
"I know."
[Aftermath — The Village Whispers]
News traveled fast in Konoha.
By the time Naruto reached the training grounds later that day, whispers already swirled through the ranks.
"Did you hear? Raiga — dead."
"Uzumaki Naruto… no demon chakra this time. Just blade."
"One-handed Shunshin… what style is that?"
At the edge of Training Ground 11, Naruto stood alone beneath the trees, blade drawn, movements slow and deliberate.
Tsuki no Ryū Kenjutsu: Hantsuki Kiri.Flowing arc. Controlled breath.
Again.
Again.
Hayato watched from a distance, arms folded.
"You'll wear a deeper target on your back now," he said quietly.
Naruto paused — sweat beading at his brow.
"Then I'll cut through it."
A small smile touched Hayato's lips."Good."
[Kiri Council Meeting]
Far across the sea, within the mist-veiled council chamber of Kirigakure, voices rose.
"The blade returns — but with new stain."
"Uzumaki Naruto. We must monitor him."
Ao's voice cut through."Monitor… but do not provoke. He fights with discipline. He returned the blade without arrogance. That matters."
A silence settled.
But the shadows whispered still.
[End Scene — Naruto's Reflection]
That night, beneath a pale moon, Naruto stood alone atop the Hokage Monument.
Sword resting across his knees, he stared out over the sleeping village.
The Kyūbi's presence stirred faintly beneath the surface — curious, watching.
But Naruto's voice was clear."Not your power. Not this time."
The beast rumbled low in the depths of his soul — no answer, only acknowledgment.
Naruto closed his eyes — breathing deep.
One fight done.
Many more to come.
And with the cold wind stirring his hair, he rose — blade in hand — and turned toward the long road going home.